Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay Framework, as the name implies, is an application bundled on Samsung phones that provides some functionality for Samsung Pay. It's intended to work quietly behind the scenes, but lately, the app has caused major battery drain issues for many users.

As far as smartwatches go, Samsung is still one of the best options to go with. Though the Galaxy Watch is new kid on the block, its predecessor the Gear S3 is still a very competent, and downright good, wearable. And you can pick up the Frontier version for just $199.99 over on B&H, a nice $100 off.

Mobile payments, neat as they are, are pretty commonplace. It seems like just about everywhere lets you buy stuff with your phone, whether through a standalone platform like Google Pay, or a proprietary app like Starbucks and Target have. What's less commonplace, though, is the ability to withdraw cash from ATMs using your phone. Now, Chase customers can do exactly that.

One of the best low-key benefits of Samsung's Galaxy flagships is Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) payments, which allow you to use your phone for contactless payments at most credit card readers, as opposed to the NFC-based payments used by other digital wallets that require an explicitly compatible terminal. Samsung and Chase are now teaming up to bring that MST convenience to the Chase Pay app. Of course, a Chase card could be used for MST Payments via Samsung Pay before, but now the Chase Pay app gets that same direct convenience.

The Starbucks app allows customers to pay for their caffeine fix and earn rewards points for subsequent coffee runs without using cash or a card. It only works at Starbucks, obviously. Despite the fact that payments through Google Pay and Apple Pay are now accepted at more than half of US merchants (and more than 80 percent take Samsung Pay), the Starbucks app is currently the most popular mobile payments platform—and it's projected to stay that way.

Samsung Pay is clearly one of the company's most successful ventures so far and it keeps on getting better. When you use this mobile payment service to purchase things, not only do you accumulate Samsung Rewards points that you can use later, but you also earn whatever your credit or debit card offers in terms of cash back. Now, one more benefit will be added to the list: some retailers will begin offering cash back awards if you purchase from them, thus compounding the benefits.

On the Samsung totem pole, the Galaxy A series sits right below the flagship S series, striking a balance between eye-catching design, great features, and mid to high-end specs. The latest device(s) to come from it are the new Galaxy A6 and A6+, which bring a sleek build with metal instead of glass and visible yet well-designed antenna lines.

Samsung may have quietly just rolled out Samsung Pay in France, according to SamMobile. Samsung had announced last month it would be making Samsung Pay available in France "before this summer," and that is indeed the case. Some French users have reported being able to download Pay and use it to complete a purchase, even despite the fact that Samsung has made no official statement confirming availability.